Go downtown, but don’t drive
Montrealers are invited to come out in great numbers to attend the St. Patrick’s Day parade on Sunday but are being warned to leave their cars at home. Major traffic closures will make it difficult to navigate several highways around the city this weekend because of work on the Turcot Interchange and the new Champlain Bridge.
The closure of the Ville-Marie Expressway will make it difficult to go to and from downtown, and street closures on Sunday because of the parade will add to the mess.
City of Montreal spokesperson Philippe Sabourin said 50,000 people are expected to attend Sunday ’s parade. The Société de transport de Montréal is to increase bus and métro service to get to the downtown area. No extra commuter trains will be added on the Réseau de transport métropolitain’s network.
Here is a list of major closures.
TURCOT INTERCHANGE
Work to dismantle the westbound Ville-Marie Expressway will continue this weekend, and require the roadway to be closed from Exit 5 at Robert-Bourassa Blvd. to the entrance at Ste-Annede-Bellevue Blvd. in Notre-Damede- Grâce/Lachine.
Eastbound Highway 20 will be closed from 1st Ave. in Lachine to the Angrignon Blvd. entrance.
However, motorists taking the Angrignon Blvd. entrance won’t be able to access the Ville-Marie, which will be closed up to the de la Cathédrale St. entrance. (They will still be able to get to Highway 15 South, toward the Champlain Bridge, but not to the Décarie Expressway.)
The closures will be in effect from Friday at 11:59 p.m. to Monday at 5 a.m.
BONAVENTURE EXPRESSWAY/HIGHWAY 15
Heading to the Champlain Bridge will be difficult from downtown
because the Bonaventure Expressway toward the Champlain Bridge will be closed between Exit 4 for Highway 15 North/Highway 20 West to Nuns’ Island from Friday at 10 p.m. to Monday at 5 a.m.
As part of the work, Exit 57 off Highway 15 South will be closed according to the same schedule. The Atwater Ave. exit off Highway 15 South will also be closed.
The closures are required so crews working on the new Champlain Bridge and its surrounding road network can dismantle two overpasses.
The work will require Île-desSoeurs Blvd. on Nuns’ Island to be closed under Highway 15.
René-Lévesque Blvd. on the island will be made two-way for the duration of the work.
PARADE CLOSURES
The city will close many streets in the downtown core for the St. Patrick’s Day parade on Sunday. The parade will take place on de Maisonneuve Blvd. starting at City Councillors St. and ending at Mackay St. The parade runs from noon to 3 p.m.; the roads around the parade route will be closed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The perimeter of closed streets runs from Jeanne-Mance to StMarc Sts. and from de Maisonneuve to René-Lévesque Blvds.